Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 1 | Page 33

RailwayStation.Thishugeandmodernbuilding
is the place where the T27, the train to Lhasa
departs every evening. At 20.09 hrs, the train
left, bound for the high peaks of the Himalayas.

Back on the train, J and I decided to take
a tour of the other carriages and mingle a
bit with the locals. We were accommodated
in the soft sleeper compartment, with four
cozy bunk beds and a little table, next to the
restaurant carriage. A bit further away we find
the hard sleepers compartment with six beds,
and busy corridors where Chinese passengers
were sharing their tea while chatting. Further in
the rear of the train, were the seating carriages
where people were sitting and standing.

The high point

During the night we crossed the Tangula Pass,
at 5,032 meters, the highest point of the railway
line. The landscape was completely different
and much more beautiful. No longer barren,
instead we could see high green mountains
from the window.Waking up feeling a bit dizzy,
we saw that the oxygen supplies are working
in our compartment and the rest of the train.

On to Lhasa

At Naqu, we made one last stop before
heading to Lhasa, capital of Tibet. At the

station, our Tibetan guide is already waiting
for us outside to welcome us with a beautiful
white scarf, demonstrating the well-known
Tibetan hospitality. We started our stay in
Tibet discovering Lhasa and it surroundings.
First stop was Drepung Monastery, five
kilometers west of Lhasa, one of the “great
three” university monasteries of Tibet. At
one time considered the largest monastery
in the world, it housed sometimes as many
as 10,000 monks. Today, their population
is about three hundred. It was founded in
the 15th century and was the residence of

© RMT

Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, the train
pulledintoa city:anenormous metropolis, with
highconcretebuildings,oneaftereachother,all
looking the same.This is our first stop and J and I
profitedfromittostretchourlegsandtakealook
outside.Foodstallswerelinedalongtheplatform
andtravelersgotdowngettingsomemorefood.

© RMT

Next morning, woken early by the sunrise
shining through the thin curtains, a bleak
moon-like landscape could be seen: a
barren land, with no vegetation and sand
dunes on the horizon. Occasionally, a small
village appeared, with a sad and dirty look.

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